Ootoro Sushi (Walnut/Irvine) Stay away IHO and Socal

ps99472

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http://www.yelp.com/biz/ootoro-sushi-walnut

Picked this place as our back up pre-Mother's Day celebration.  They take opentable reservations and was able to accomodate our semi-large party of 8 at a decent time 1:30pm.  Glad I made the reservations since no one else planned anything.. A little planning goes a long way.  Ok, on to the food:

From yelp, they seem to be famous for their premium chirashi bowls.  Almost everyone at the table ordered it, at $28 per bowl it seemed about average for "premium".  Also got a tempura udon for my little one.  When the udon arrived I was pleasantly surprised with the soup....I knew this was Chinese owned Japanese.. and the soup tasted like the street vendor/night market Tw peddler soup... had a Ratatouille moment when I was transformed back in time..




[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-3hq2_0Y7E[/youtube]
:-\ :-\ :-\  my video

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Look at that thick cut of toro!

Chirashi was pretty awesome... the shrimp heads arrived fresh (and moving!).  Pour some soy sauce over it and it will move again.. Reminds me of pouring ringer's solution on a frog's heart in bio class... After the ooo's and ahhh's on the moving shrimp.. they plucked the head for some deep fry service into the kitchen.. A nice crunchy shrimp head.. I can eat that all day..

Decent decor, decent service (we were late and went past their lunch closing, but they didn't rush us out), tasty food.. wish they were closer to us..
 
ps9 said:
Chirashi was pretty awesome... the shrimp heads arrived fresh (and moving!).  Pour some soy sauce over it and it will move again.. Reminds me of pouring ringer's solution on a frog's heart in bio class... After the ooo's and ahhh's on the moving shrimp.. they plucked the head for some deep fry service into the kitchen.. A nice crunchy shrimp head.. I can eat that all day..

:'( That description was so Rated R. NSFW, everyone!!! NSFW!

Thanks for the warning. Iho & I will be next door at the Austrian Cafe eating his favorite sp?tzle , schnitzel, liver & onions and roasted suckling pig. We will fight over who gets the pig's eyeball. We'll play catch with it a few times before we slice it down the middle and share. Tame stuff by comparison.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Liver and pig's eyeball is just as gross to me. I'm a wuss when it comes to food.

Iho, you would love the Braised Rabbit at J?gerhaus in Anaheim.  ;) It's a little bunny perfectly perched on your plate. Totally recognizable. It looks like it could get up and hop away at any time. I don't really recommend it, though. It has a pretty gamey taste - blech.
 
You can always order the fried tonkatsu (pork cutlet).. tastes just like schnitzel.. Japanese dip it in their Worcestershire sauce concoction.. easy peasy rice plate.. my kid loves it. 
 
ps9 said:
You can always order the fried tonkatsu (pork cutlet).. tastes just like schnitzel.. Japanese dip it in their Worcestershire sauce concoction.. easy peasy rice plate.. my kid loves it. 

Yeah but what about the people at the table next to you? Unsafe. One of the times I went to Club 33, the man at the table next to me was sucking down escargot like it was going out of style. *Shivers*. It kind of puts a damper on the night.
 
Not that big.. you'll see the body in the second picture.. it is the translucent piece to the left of the head.. you can see the tail fins.. really good.. the raw shrimp has a very subtle sweet flavor..
 
ps9 said:
Not that big.. you'll see the body in the second picture.. it is the translucent piece to the left of the head.. you can see the tail fins.. really good.. the raw shrimp has a very subtle sweet flavor..

Did you eat those super duper long skinny "arms"? Weren't you afraid it was gonna stab you in the eye while it was moving?
hide.gif
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Like I said... if it looks like the creature it came from... I'll pass.

I can guess what your favorites are:

PB&J sandwiches
Macaroni & Cheese
Applesauce
Cheetos

You are a 4 year old trapped in a 40-something body.
 
funny how the first few reviews are people with little to no history. And then there is the typical "I've had sushi in japan and this is even better" review lol
 
For chirashi I used to go to Akasaka in Hacienda Heights.  However the restaurant was sold this year and the new owners...  not so good by recent reviews.  It was a rare sushi restaurant owned by female Japanese sushi chef who doled out food in large portions.

Alternatively you can try Sushi Koto in Fountain Valley for chirashi.  No more Godzilla special though.  :(

Shrimp heads should be fried on plate or in miso soup, not raw.  Go to Nana-san in Newport and ask for "shrimp boat" sushi and request the heads to be fried.
 
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